Owling Might Be the New Planking, Reports Actual Newspaper

July 14, 2011

The Washington Post‘s BlogPost asked a really deep question this week: “Could owling be the new planking?” Yes, planking — which we previously told you about — has a rival? challenger? friend? — in the world of trends that aren’t really trends but are instead just things people do to get attention on the Internet. A refresher: planking is when people lie facedown, you know, like a plank, occasionally putting themselves in precarious situations, like the man in Australia who fell and died after planking on a seventh floor balcony. Some people say it has racist overtones. Now, the Post explains, the fad of “owling” is emerging, and it has nothing to do with Harry Potter (R.I.P. Hedwig). Owling is when you sit with your legs tucked against your chest and your butt to the ground. Kind of like an owl! Get it? Now hoot! Luckily owling.com is still dedicated to the birds of prey and not to people online doing dumb things.